1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a device for dispensing a disinfectant and/or a cleaning agent or a scent into a WC or toilet bowl, and a process for disinfecting and/or cleaning a toilet bowl using such a device.
2. Description of Related Art
Maintaining clean and hygienic conditions in toilets and in toilet facilities, especially the toilet bowl, is a constant problem. Scent treatments have been developed for this purpose, but they only address one part of the problem.
It is indeed possible to take precautionary measures with newly installed or built toilet facilities, by installing ventilation systems, building in special flushing systems in the toilet bowl etc., but their efficiency is not fully satisfactory, or their effect is delayed, as for example with odor removal.
In addition, there is a desire to improve the cleanliness of toilet bowls and reduce odor build-up, even in already existing toilet facilities, where for example the bowl is cleaned by a so-called toilet scrubber, and disinfectant or deodorant agents are added to the flushwater in containers. In other words, these are all improvised measures, that come into effect only after the toilet has been used.
In the current state of the art, two patents are known, U.S. Pat. No. 2,760,209 and DE-OS 16 09 234, each of which discloses a device for introducing a liquid disinfectant and/or deodorant into a toilet bowl. In each of these patents, a pouch-like container is located over the rim of the bowl and is squeezed by downward pressure on the toilet seat. The increasing pressure causes the liquid to be released through a tube into the inside of the toilet bowl. Both devices have the disadvantage that when the pressure is released or lifted from the toilet seat, pressure is equalized by the return flow of air through the tube or conveying channel that must at the same time serve to feed the liquid into the inside of the toilet bowl. In addition, inside the pouch-like device or in the portion of the device running under the seat, mechanisms must be provided that will cause the air to expand or be sucked back. It is also a feature of the above devices that at the beginning, when the container is full, a great deal of liquid is sprayed into the toilet bowl, while, when the container is almost empty, very little liquid is released into the bowl.
In U.S. Pat. No. 670,916 a dispenser is described whereby liquid is released into a conduit tube when pressure is applied to a nozzle located above, and this conduit tube extends over the upper rim of the toilet into the interior of the bowl. At the end of this tube a balloon is affixed, where the liquid is temporarily stored. A deodorant or disinfectant is then released drop by drop from this balloon over a longer period of time, for the purpose of preventing odor accumulation in the toilet bowl over a longer period of time. The disadvantage of the device as proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,670,916, especially in FIG. 4, lies in the fact that, while a deodorant or disinfectant may indeed be released over a longer period of time, this will still be occurring during times when the toilet is not in use at all. And yet, the efficiency of this device is insufficient to overcome or prevent strong odors or soiling when the toilet is being used.